Convenience plug



June 4, 1968 E. A. SALNERS ET AL 3,387,253

CONVENIENCE PLUG Filed Sept. 27, 1965 W M ma M 5 3 7//////// n. ul-l%I//////////- 6 2 M FIG. 3

TELEVISION RECEIVER CHASSIS ATTYS United States Patent 3,387,253 CONVENIENCE PLUG Edward A. Salners, Mount Prospect, and Daniel James Voudran, Chicago, Ill., assignors to Motorola, Inc., Franklin Park, [1]., a corporation of Illinois Filed Sept. 27, 1965, Ser. No. 490,266 1 Claim. (Cl. 339-402) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This electrical plug has a one-piece molded body of insulated material. The neck of the body fits into a removable back panel of a television receiver and is locked there so that with the panel in position female connectors in the neck are connected to a pair of terminals for conducting power to the television chassis. The body portion of the plug holds a pair of spring connectors that are inclined at an oblique angle to the plane of the female connectors. A pair of apertures that provide access to the spring connectors opens into a plane which slopes obliquely with respect to the receiver panel with the plug in place, permitting convenient access to the spring connectors for a male plug without interference from the panel.

This invention pertains generally to electrical connectors and more particularly to a combination interlock connector and convenience outlet for use with a removable panel in electrical equipment.

Convenience outlets have been proposed for use with electrical devices that have electrically interlocked, removable back panels such as television receivers. In general, however, these outlets are provided by means of a separate socket in the panel which requires additional wiring in the chassis thereby increasing production costs. Other attempts to provide such convenience outlets include having one or more female outlets in a wall plug. But this method is often inconvenient and may be unsightly due to the number of wires that run to the plug and lie on the floor.

One object of this invention is to provide a combination interlock connector and convenience outlet for use with a removable panel of electrical equipment.

Another object of this invention is to provide a combination interlock connector and convenience outlet for use with a removable panel of electrical equipment that eliminates the need for separate wiring for the convenience socket in the chassis of the equipment thereby reducing costs.

A further object of this invention is to provide a combination interlock connector and convenience outlet for use with a removable panel of electrical equipment that provides convenient access and reduces the number of unsightly wires on the floor in the area surrounding the equipment.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is an enlarged perspective view of the interlock connector and convenience outlet in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-section along the line 22 of the device of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the device of FIG. 1 with the panel shown in section and a plug in position in the convenience outlet.

In accordance with an embodiment of this invention, the interlock connector and convenience outlet includes a molded body of insulating material. The body has a neck portion that is inserted in an aperture in the removable back panel of a television receiver and is so shaped that upon insertion therein it is locked in place. Respective apertures in one side of the neck portion open into a pair ice of female connectors, so that when the back panel of the receiver is in place, the apertures engage cooperating terminals connected to the receiver chassis. The second portion of the body integral with the first portion includes a pair of spring connectors positioned transverse to the female connectors. The second portion has a surface sloping at an oblique angle to the panel with the neck portion locked in place and contains two apertures that provide access to the spring connectors. An electrical cord extends into the body and is connected to the female connectors of the interlock and to the spring connectors of the convenience outlet. The device therefore provides a convenience outlet that has a sloped surface to permit easy insertion of the plug into the outlet without interference from the panel, and an interlock for disconnecting the television receiver from the power source whenever the receiver chassis is exposed upon removal of the back panel.

A more detailed description of this invention may be had by referflng to the drawing. Although this particular embodiment is described for use with a television receiver, it should be clear that it would find utility with some other piece of electrical equipment that has an interlocked removable panel to provide access to the chassis thereof for maintenance and repair.

In FIGS. 1 through 3, a combined interlock and convenience outlet 10 is molded into a single unit from an insulating material such as vinyl. The combination consists of a body 12 having a first neck portion 14 and an integral second portion 16. The neck portion 14 has two grooves '18 and 20 on opposing surfaces 22 and 24. At the leading edge of each of the grooves are raised portions or lugs 26. Immediately adjacent the raised portions 26, the grooves 18 and 20 at 28 are made deeper than the intermediate portions 30 thereof. This removes any support from behind the raised portions 26 so that they may be compressed and deformed by the margins of the aperture 32 (FIG. 3) in the back panel 35 of the television receiver upon inserting the neck 14 into the aperture. When the raised portions 26 clear the margins of the aperture 32, they snap back into position against the rear face 38 of the panel 35. Raised portions 40 immediately adjacent the trailing edge of the grooves 18 and 20 engage the outer face 42 of the panel with the neck 14 in position. This effectively locks the body 12 into the panel 35 of the television receiver.

Inside the neck portion 14 is a pair of female connectors 44. Respective apertures 46 and 47 in the end 48 of the neck portion 14 provide access to the connectors 44. With the panel 35 in place in the television receiver and the neck 14 inserted therein, the apertures 46 and 47 cooperate to receive interlock connectors or terminals (not shown) coupled to the receiver chassis to provide power thereto.

The second portion 16 of the combined interlock and convenience outlet 10 includes a pair of spring connectors 52 incline-d at an oblique angle to the plane of the connectors 44 and transverse thereto. The plane containing the surface 54 of the portion 16 has respective apertures 55 and 56 therein to provide access to the spring connectors 52 and slopes at an oblique angle from the plane of the panel 35.

An electrical cord 60 includes a pair of conducting or power wires 62 and 63 and extends into the body 12. Each wire 62 and '63 is joined to one of the spring connectors 52 and female connectors 44.

In operation, the neck portion 14 of the combined interlock and convenience outlet 10 is inserted into and locked in the aperture 32 in the panel 35 of the television receiver. With the panel in position, the neck portion 14 engages the terminals connected to the chassis of the receiver and power is supplied thereto through the cord 60. In addition, a plug 65 for example, can be inserted in the convenience outlet or second portion 16 to supply power, for example, to a clock or lamp on top of the television receiver. The sloping surface 54 permits the plug 65 to be inserted into the spring connectors 52 without interference from the receiver back panel 35. When the panel 35 is removed from the back of the receiver, the female connectors 44 are disconnected from the terminals to remove power from the chassis. However, power is still coupled to the convenience outlet.

What has been described, therefore, is a combination interlock connector and convenience outlet for use with a removable panel of electrical equipment that eliminates the need for separate wiring for the convenience socket in the chassis thereby reducing cost and also provides easy access to the convenience outlet while reducing the number of unsightly wires on the floor in the area of the equipment.

What is claimed is:

1. For use with electrical equipment having a removable back panel with an aperture providing access to the chassis thereof, and to which a pair of pin terminals are connected and positioned at the aperture for coupling power thereto: an interlock connector including in combination, a one-piece molded body of insulating material having an electrical cord molded therein which includes a pair of wire conductors, said body having a neck portion with means to fasten said molded body to the removable back panel, said neck portion including a pair of apertures opening into a pair of parallel elongated female connectors positioned to be at substantially a right angle to the panel to engage the terminals connected to the chassis with the panel in position on the equipment, a convenience outlet integrally molded into the body of said interlock connector, said convenience outlet including an enlarged section of said body adjacent said female connectors on the side thereof away from the panel, said enlarged section having a surface sloping obliquely to the panel and having a pair of plug-prong-receivin-g apertures extending within said enlarged section, each aperture extending longitudinally into said enlarged section adjacent a respective female connector along a vertical plane substantially parallel to a plane containing one of said female connectors, and a spring connector in each of said apertures for engaging a respective contact of an electric plug, each wire conductor extending into electrical contact with one of said spring connectors and one of said female connectors in substantially the same vertical plane.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,226,433 12/1940 Herman 33962 2,427,349 9/1947 Boynton 339123 2,711,522 6/1955 Goodwin 33959 2,821,692 1/1958 Marcel 339163 RICHARD E. MOORE, Primary Examiner. 

